Health
Health ministry calls viral WhatsApp message on Omicron XBB variant fake and misleading
The message also claimed that the variant cannot be detected through RT-PCR tests and has no obvious symptoms.

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in China, a WhatsApp message is widely circulating, claiming that the COVID-19 Omicron XBB variant is five times more dangerous and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta variant. The message also claimed that the variant cannot be detected through RT-PCR tests and has no obvious symptoms.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now issued a clarification, stating that the viral message is fake and misleading.
The viral message also claimed that the virus directly affects the lungs for only a brief period of time and is not present in the nasopharyngeal region. The message stated that although several patients with Covid-Omicron XBB were considered afebrile and pain-free, x-rays revealed minor chest pneumonia.
The message also stated false symptoms of the new virus Covid-Omicron XBB. It claimed no cough, no fever, mild joint pain, headache, pain in the neck, upper back pain, and pneumonia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the evidence at hand does not indicate that XBB is more deadly than Omicron, which is itself less lethal than the Delta version.
According to research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the XBB variant of Omicron is more contagious than earlier iterations, but it also seems to produce less severe sickness.
Notably, it is assumed that the BF.7 subvariant of Omicron is responsible for the latest Covid wave in China and not XBB.
Globally, the BA. 5 ascendant lineages of Omicron have the most cases (73%) followed by BA. 2 variant (3%). Along with BA. 5, the dominant subvariant, XBB, another ascendant lineage of BA. 5, is found mostly in India.
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Health
India reports 5,676 fresh Covid-19 cases, 21 fatalities, check statewise list
The active cases in the country comprise 0.08 percent of the total infections.

India reported 5,676 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active cases to 37,093. Covid-19 cases have witnessed a 79 percent rise in India in the past week.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs, the country also logged 21 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 5,31,000 since the pandemic hit. The fatality rate has been recorded at 98.73 percent.
While three deaths each were reported from Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan, two were recorded in Karnataka and one each in Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu besides six reconciled by Kerala.
As per the updated data, the active cases in the country comprise 0.08 percent of the total infections and the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.73 percent.
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Check statewise list of active cases!
S. No. | Name of State/UT | Active Cases |
1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 7 |
2 | Andhra Pradesh | 148 |
3 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1 |
4 | Assam | 2 |
5 | Bihar | 175 |
6 | Chandigarh | 170 |
7 | Chhattisgarh | 511 |
8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 1 |
9 | Delhi | 2338 |
10 | Goa | 780 |
11 | Gujarat | 1938 |
12 | Haryana | 1928 |
13 | Himachal Pradesh | 1762 |
14 | Jammu and Kashmir | 426 |
15 | Jharkhand | 75 |
16 | Karnataka | 1673 |
17 | Kerala | 13745 |
18 | Ladakh | 42 |
19 | Lakshadweep | 0 |
20 | Madhya Pradesh | 177 |
21 | Maharashtra | 4667 |
22 | Manipur | 12 |
23 | Meghalaya | 3 |
24 | Mizoram | 1 |
25 | Nagaland | 2 |
26 | Odisha | 731 |
27 | Puducherry | 273 |
28 | Punjab | 666 |
29 | Rajasthan | 804 |
30 | Sikkim | 43 |
31 | Tamil Nadu | 2099 |
32 | Telangana | 175 |
33 | Tripura | 0 |
34 | Uttarakhand | 147 |
35 | Uttar Pradesh | 1282 |
36 | West Bengal | 295 |
In view of the rising cases, mock drills to take stock of hospital preparedness were held in several public and private facilities across the country on Monday. The states/Union territories were also requested to expeditiously increase the rate of testing and increase the share of RT-PCR in tests.
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Health
India logs over 6,000 fresh Covid-19 cases, health minister to chair high-level meeting today
A few days ago, Mandaviya said that ICU beds, oxygen supply, and other critical care arrangements are in place, adding that there’s a weekly review of preparedness.

There seems to be no decline in Covid-19 cases in India. The country is once again seeing a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. India on Saturday reported 6,050 new coronavirus cases which are 13 percent higher than yesterday which recorded 5,335 cases.
Daily cases have crossed the 6,000 mark for the first time since September 16 last year. With the addition of today’s cases, the number of active Covid-19 cases in the country stands at 28,303.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the daily positivity rate in the country stands at 3.39 percent while the weekly positivity rate is recorded at 3.02 percent.
India also logged 14 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Three were reported from Maharashtra, two each from Karnataka and Rajasthan, one each from Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, and one death was reconciled by Kerala.
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As per the Health Ministry data, the active cases now comprise 0.06 percent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.75 percent.
With an uptick in Covid-19 cases, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will chair a high-level meeting with the health ministers of all states and Union Territories today.
Minister of State for Health and Family Affairs Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar said that the Centre has regularly issued guidelines to the States and UTs on Covid19. PM Modi has held a review with all states on this. Today, Health Minister Dr Mandaviya will hold a review meeting with health ministers of States and UTs.
The government has earlier said that it is prepared to deal with a spike in infections. A few days ago, Mandaviya said that ICU beds, oxygen supply, and other critical care arrangements are in place, adding that there’s a weekly review of preparedness.
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Health
India records whopping 5,335 cases in past 24 hours, 6 more fatalities
The number of active Covid cases in India mounted to 25,587 as the country witnessed a surge in coronavirus infections, registering 5,335 fresh cases of the deadly virus in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active Covid cases in India mounted to 25,587 as the country witnessed a surge in coronavirus infections, registering 5,335 fresh cases of the deadly virus in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry.
On Wednesday, India has registered 4,435 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day jump since September 2022.
As per the data at 8 am today on the Union Heath Ministry’s website, six more fatalities due to the deadly viral infection were reported during the past 24 hours taking the overall death toll since the pandemic hit to 5,30,929 while the active cases jumped by 2,496 and the current caseload in the country stands at 25,587
According to the health ministry’s data, the active cases comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections since the viral outbreak while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent with 2,826 people recovering from the contagious virus during the past 24 hours
The data stated that at 8,229 Kerala, which registered 1,404 new cases, has the most number of active cases, Maharashtra has 3,874 while Delhi has 1,795 coronavirus cases.
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Himachal Pradesh has reported 212 new cases while 130 fresh infections were registered in Tamil Nadu.
The data also revealed that a total of 1.6 lakh Covid-19 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours.
Scientists have attributed the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases to the Omicron variant XBB.1.16 of the coronavirus diseases which is being closely monitored by the World Health Organization
On March 22, the WHO had added the XBB.1.16 to its list of variants under monitoring. The global body has said that the XBB.1.16 variant has a similar to its predecessor XBB.1.5, but contains additional changes in the spike protein, adding that lab studies have revealed that XBB.1.16 show signs of increased infectivity as well as potentially increased pathogenicity.
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